1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to steering and propulsion systems for wheeled movable toy vehicles.
2. Description of Prior Art
Inexpensive toy vehicles for young children are made to be pushed and dragged along the floor by hand or at the end of a cord or a stick with no sense of control or direction. Riding toys such as tricycles and pedal-powered vehicles with car bodies are more expensive, bulky, and hazardous for young children than are the types of pre-riding vehicles addressed by this invention. Radio-controlled toy vehicles provide control, but are expensive and too advanced for small children, and are too passive. They provide no exercise, and steering is done with buttons and levers, which is not similar to steering a car, so it does not provide training for steering a car.
Prior U.S patents disclose various mechanisms for steering the front wheels of a toy vehicle. These include U.S. Pat. No. 4,595,380 (Magers), U.S. Pat. No. 5,240,451 (Clark), U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,743 (Beaulieu), and U.S. Pat. No. 6,272,946 (Roux). These mechanisms are sometimes fragile, intricate, and complex, with many interlocking rigid parts. This makes them expensive to manufacture, unreliable, impractical to adjust and maintain. What is needed for commercial success is simplicity, practicality, sturdiness, and low production cost.